Twenty comments

I learnt this tune from West Clare pipes/whistle/flute player Michael Falsey in his whistle class at the Willie Clancy Week, Milltown Malbay. He referred to it as the ‘old’ version of The Lark in the Morning - it clearly corresponds to the first two parts of the common 4-part version. I have not heard it played by anyone other than Michael, myself and others who have been to his classes, so presumably it has not spread much beyond the West Clare pipers’ repertoire.

I was prompted to post this tune by Carrie’s request in Discussions for banjo tunes to enter in a fleadh. Although not a typical banjo tune, I felt that the simplicity of this tune would allow plenty of room for variation and expression - and would be a change form the better-known session tunes.

Brad - I agree, it is quite a different tune. But there are plenty of duplicated names here already, so one more won’t hurt. Adding ‘Old’ to the title would constitute changing the name, and I am reluctant to give it any name other than that under which I learnt it.

Lark On The Strand?

I’m just reading it here without playing it, but it looks like a variant of the jig I know as The Lark on The Strand; esp. the B part. I think it’s on Dervish’s Midsummer’s Night CD? OK, I’ll shut up now ….. cat.

Smyth writes it’s been popular in Clare for years. This is also the fourth jig of "Christy Barry’s set." The only first two jigs of the set are often played together as "Christy Barry’s," but the Clare flute himself actually plays four jigs in a set. I remember he said this is a Connemara setting of "The Lark in the Morning."

P.J & Marcus Hernon play it too

Sean Bui

This seem to be a title given to a tune by Seamus Ennis which was ‘related to’ The Lark in the morning. I think this is it. Angelina Carberry & Martin Quinn recorded it under "Sean Bui" and noted Seamus Ennis as their source and it was also recorded by Liam Farrell and Joe Whelan on "They Sailed Away from Dublin Bay". They just call it "The Lark in the Morning".

Whatever about that, it does seem to fit the banjo quite nicely despite its simplicity.

Lark in the Morning

I learned this tune on the mandolin (D) in 4 parts and play the same way on the t. banjo (G). But I wonder what the connection of the lively jig that I play is the the stately song with the story of the Lark with "the jewel on her throat.." made popular in the 1970’ s by Steeleye Span?

The Lark in the Morning

Marcus and P.J. Hernon recorded this version of the Lark in the Morning, citing the late West Clare concertina player and piper Tommy McCarthy as the source. According to the notes of their recording, T. McCarthy learned it from Willie Clancy. McCarthy lived in London for many years, so Joe Whelan and Liam Farrell too must have picked this version of the tune from him.

As the good doctor mentioned…

…this is on Fisherstreet’s "Out in the Night" album. They have it in (iirc) the key of A, ie, starting on the low e of the fiddle. It is also easy to transpose the tune a further semitone down to G, as well as play it as shown here in D. I’ve tried it in C too.

Easy transposability is either the sign of a good tune (Mist-covered Mountain is another example, working in Dm, Em, Gm as well as the usual key) or of an easy tune; you decide. 8))

I’ve avoided putting in the ornamentation, simplifying it in some places, as for crans, cuts, rolls, etc., though places for such choices/options will be obvious for most of you. For the A-part/1st-part the A2 A and AAA are as with the 5th bar, rolled, though not the only option… In submitting transcriptions here I mostly try to keep my focus on a basic melody and not the ornamentation, though I will try to work in variations where there’s usually repetition…